More Training for McAfee Knob Task Force August 8, 2015

McAfee iconicMcAfee Knob Volunteer Ridgerunners help with outreach, maintenance and parking lot patrol – more training scheduled on August 8. To sign up or get information, see the McAfee Knob MeetUp group or contact Kathryn Herndon of ATC staff at kherndon@appalachiantrail.org

McAfee Knob is popular, which is both a blessing and a curse. Every weekend hundreds of day hikers and quite a few backpackers head for the Knob. Two wonderful paid Ridgerunners – Stephanie Breig and Eric West –take turns patrolling the section from Dragon’s Tooth to Lambert’s Meadow on weekends, but they can’t be everywhere.

That is where the volunteers come in. On May 23, eleven RATC members completed a day of training led by ATC staffer Kathryn Herndon and assisted by Stephanie and Eric. The volunteers trained were: Brian Boggs, Diana Christopulos, Bob Egbert, David Foster, Jonathon Giuffria, Carina Hughes, Robin Jordan, Mark McClain, Bruce Sellars, Jim Webb and David Youmans.

At least one day each month from April to October, McAfee Knob Task Force Volunteer Ridgerunners will help protect the resource, with a focus on meeting hikers at the Route 311 parking lot, at the 3 shelters (John’s Spring, Catawba, Campbell) or on McAfee Knob. Coordinating with paid Ridgerunners, the volunteers will also sometimes patrol the section near Dragon’s Tooth or near Tinker Cliffs and Lambert’s Meadow.

Trail Patrol Outreach: Encourage and promote desired wildland ethics among Appalachian Trail visitors at McAfee Knob by offering interpretation on the natural or cultural significance of this high-use areas and tips on best-practices for enjoying the Trail safely and responsibly.

 

Trail Patrol Maintenance: Preserve the A.T. experience and ecological integrity along the most heavily trafficked section of the Trail in the Roanoke and New River Valleys, by mitigating human impacts and preventing minor impacts from becoming exacerbated.

 

A second training session will be held from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 8, 2015, at the Roanoke Regional Fire EMS Training Center, 1220 Kessler Mill Road, Salem Va. You can learn more by joining the RATC’s McAfee Knob Taskforce Meetup group http://www.meetup.com/McAfeeKnob/  or by contacting Kathryn Herndon of ATC staff at kherndon@appalachiantrail.org

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